Writing, Musings, and Inspiration …

Do You Need Action, Baby?

As a writer, we all wat action. We want the action in our writing. We want action to keep our readers interested and to keep the story moving along. Would you read a book that did’t have any action written into it. Even the Bible had action within it’s stories. Action can be oe of the methods of revealing a character. Actions are all revealing, but in a crisis your character can reveal his/her true character, intentions.

Flannery O’Connor, once made the statement “If you put fourteen characters in the exact same circumstances, you should get fourteen very different courses of action and approaches to the situation; fourteen different illustrations of what each character will do?”

What sounds better to you? John walked to the store, hiding as he went, or John ran to the store, dodging in and out of doorways to hide from the men in the black chevy.

Action can also help define your sceane. Did John walking and hiding make you want to read more? Did it tell you anything about John?

John running told you he was in a hurry, dodging in and out of doorways, shows you he was trying to be crafty. Did you want to know why he is hiding in dorrways from the men? Do you want to read on. Action gives our stories interest by grabbing the reader and carrying him/her on through the story.

About shirleymclain930

I am a retired RN, I am currently promoting my book, Dobyns Chronicles. My first book published in November 2010, called "The Tower", has been revised. I'm enjoying my retirement to the fullest. I like adventure and travel and making friends. I have 4 dogs and 3 cats. They are like having a house full of three years olds. They are a large part of my life and I can't imagine not having them.